Regional voices could add ‘another layer of bureaucracy’: Alice Springs mayor

Alice Springs mayor Matt Paterson raises concern of an added ‘layer of bureaucracy’ as Linda Burney confirmed plans for ‘a road map forward’ after the failed voice referendum.

Alice Springs mayor Matt Paterson. Picture: Laura Hooper

Alice Springs Mayor Matt Paterson has raised concerns that local and regional voices could add “a layer of bureaucracy” to regions like his, as Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney said the government would have “a road map” on the issue early next year.

Labor is considering rolling out local and regional voices across the country by expanding the ­Empowered Communities program, which puts Indigenous people from remote areas in the same room as government decision-makers, as revealed by The Australian on Friday.

Empowered Communities currently covers 10 regions, with the government considering more public funding to increase its coverage.

But Mr Paterson warned that implementing “more layers” on communities such as Alice Springs, which is already home to many Indigenous organisations and land councils, could “make things more difficult”.

“Isn’t it better to look at things that aren’t already equitable around the country and people who are most in need rather than creating another level of bureaucracy that’s going to cost a whole lot of money?” he said.

He argued more money should go to helping the NT support its homeless population, rather than setting up local voices.

Alice Springs came to national attention this year when alcohol bans were rolled back and incidents of violence skyrocketed, prompting the government to invest more than $200m to address issues of youth crime and domestic violence.

Indigenous senator Lidia Thorpe – who campaigned against the Indigenous voice to parliament – also rejected the idea of the local and regional voices.

“Giving advice is not empowerment, we have been giving advice for over a hundred years, it is time for us to have real power over our lives and communities,” she said. “We need an end to the era of powerless advisory bodies and government-controlled consultation.”

It is understood the federal government has not made a decision on whether to pursue a Makarrata commission to oversee truth-telling and treaty-making, which it committed to ahead of the May 2022 election and has ­already partially funded.

Senator Thorpe, a former member of the Greens, said the government had “put all their eggs in the voice basket and have ­ignored truth and treaty”.

“Truth and treaty are what our people have been fighting for decades, and the Albanese government must show some good faith to our people by fulfilling their promise to progress them in this term of government,” she said.

Senator Lidia Thorpe. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Martin Ollman

Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney. Picture: Sky News

Ms Burney said she and other Aboriginal members of caucus were committed to “deep listening” and reaching an understanding of what Indigenous organisations and leaders were saying. “The other thing that I’ve decided is not to be rushed,” she told the ABC on Friday.

“This (the defeat of the voice referendum) is a big setback for us. There’s no two ways about it. But there’s been setbacks before as you know. This is not about the timetable of the 24-hour media cycle. This is not about the timetable of the opposition.

“This is about giving enough respect and time to the community to come forward and say this is where we should be going. And it’s not my decision. It will be the decision of the community.”

However, Ms Burney made clear the government would have a strategy early next year.

“The really important thing is (in) the first few weeks of next year to make sure that we’ve got a road map forward,” she said. “In February we have the Closing the Gap report. And that’s ­always very sobering. There are certainly things to do and that’s what will happen.”

Mr Paterson said rather than a local and regional voice model, the government should expand federal representations.

“In the grand whole world of politics and Australian politics, we don’t really matter. And so are we better off actually fighting for more local voices here? Are we better off fighting for greater representation in Canberra and adequate funding? I think that’s probably the answer,” he said.